Vehicle-thill support.



No.-8'7'7,449. I I PATENTED JAN.'21, 1908.

B. M. PERDUE.

VEHICLE THILL'SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 24.1907.

a/ /0 wj fimdw P67 2 2; Q/Vihwou BRADIE M. PERDUE, OF FRANKLIN, KENTUCKY.

VEHICLE-'lI-IILL SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented a... 21, 1908.

Application filed April 24. 1907. Serial No. 370097.

, cation.

This invention relates to supports for vehicle thills, and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide means for supporting the thills in any position which may be required for use and to support the thills in an upwardly inclined position when the vehicle is not in use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring thill support which will hold the thills up out of the way when the vehicle is not in use," and which will permit the thills to drop to a horizontal position when in use and support said thills in this position.

These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a thill support made in accordance with my invention and connected to the axle and cross bar of the thill, said axle and cross bar and the swingletree being shown in section, and the thills being shown thrown upward in position when not in use. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the thills thrown down in position for use. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of my thill support detached from the axle and cross bar of the thill. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a modified form of supporting block. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the same. Fig6 is a detail view showing a modified form of yoke. Fig. 7 is a similar view of a still further modified form of yoke.

Referring to the drawings for a more particular description of my invention, the nu- -meral 1 designates one of the thills of the vehicle, 2 is the axle, 3 is the cross bar which connects the thill, and 4 is the swingletree. These parts may be of the usual or any suitable construction. The thill support consists of a supporting block 5 having a-threaded aperture 6 extending through the same at an angle, said supporting block being connected to the axle-by means of supporting flanges 7 having bolt apertures 8 therein to accommodate bolts which pass through said apertures and through the axle.

A yoke 9 provided with a threaded end 10 which engages the threaded aperture 6 in the block 5 is pivotally connected at its upper end to a lever having spaced arms 11. A bolt 12 extends through the yoke 9 and through the arms 11, said bolt being provided with a rubber anti-rattler roller 13. The arms 11 are provided with adjusting apertures 14 and similar adjusting apertures 15 are formed. in the yoke 9. Connected to the yoke 9 is a stirrup 16, said stirrup being pivoted uponbolts 17, and said stirrup being provided with a hook 18 to which a spiral spring 19 is connected at one end, the opposite end of said spring being connected to a link 20 which engages a loop 21 formed on the clip which secures the swingletree 4 to the crossbar 3- of the thills. The spring 19 is connected at its upper end to the spaced arms 11. It will be understood that the thill support is disposed centrally to the axle and cross bar 3.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing it will be noticed that the supporting block 5" is provided with a threaded aperture 6, said lock being pivotally connected, as at 7 between the ears 8 of a supporting bar which may be connected to the axle in a manner similar to that shown in Fig. 3. The supporting block 5 is adjustable toward and from the supporting barby means of a removable pin 9*, said in extending through any one of a series 0? apertures 10 in the ears 8. A supporting block made in accordance with this modified form of my invention may be secured to the axle 2 by means of a clip 11, one arm 12 of which may be extended around the su porting bar between the block 5 and the ront wall of said supporting bar.

The operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows: When the thills are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and it is desired to harness the horse between the thills, the latter are dropped to the position shown in Fig. 2, the yoke 9 and the arms 11 being moved upon the bolt 12 and the antirattler roller 13 hearing against the spring, as shown in this figure of the drawing, to hold the thills in a horizontal position. When the horse is withdrawn from the thills they may be thrown up into the position shown in Fig. 1 out of the way. Should it be deemed necessary to adjust the tension of the spring 19, the stirrup 16 may be adjusted upon the bolts 17 in an obvious manner. The supporting block 5", as shown in Figs. 4

and 5, may be adjusted to give more or lesS angular disposition to the yoke 9 and the arms 11.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a thill support made in accordance with my invention is comparatively simple in construction, can be readily applied to any vehicle, will hold the thills in any position required, and can be manufactured at slight cost.

Referring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the yoke 9 is provided with a cross bar 1O at the bottom thereof, and that in Fig. 7 this cross bar 10 is omitted from the yoke 9".

Thus, provision is made for attachment to vehicle axles of various forms.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A thill support comprising a threaded yoke, a supporting block provided with a threaded aperture for said yoke, spaced arms pivotally connected to said yoke, an

g a spiral spring, a lever an a yoke pivotal y connected together, and an anti-rattler roller on the pivotal bolt.

3. A thill support comprising a supporting block, provided with a threaded aperture therein, a yoke having a threaded shank fitted to said block, spaced arms pivotally connected to said yoke by a bolt, a rubber roller mounted on said bolt, a spring connected to said yoke by a stirrup, the opposite end of said spring being connected to said arms, and means for connecting said spring to the cross bar between the thills and means fori connecting the supporting block to the ax e.

4. A thill support comprising a spring, a yoke, spaced arms, a pivotal bolt for connecting said arms and yoke, an anti-rattler on said bolt, a supporting block for said yoke, means for connecting said supporting.

block to an axle, and means for connecting said spring at one end to said arms and at the other end to said yoke.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BRADIE M. PERDUE. Witnesses K. ALLEN,

AIMEE BROWN. 

